


Off Balance

by Aissu



Category: Free!
Genre: Freeform, M/M, Rhythmic Gymnastics AU, follows certain canon events, rinrei-exchange-2k16, sjdalkfdsj kl i had so much fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 06:32:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6459610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aissu/pseuds/Aissu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin stood, his bag toppling to the ground with a crash. They turned at the sound and Rin caught a glance of Haruka’s widening eyes. He felt Rei’s curious gaze trained on his back as he picked up his bag and walked away.</p><p>Away from the rose-tinted memories of a childhood promise and a group of eager youngsters enthralled by the grace with which the team of gymnasts before them moved; twisting and leaping into the air, forming patterns and shimmering in their costumes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Off Balance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [choking_on_roses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/choking_on_roses/gifts).



> For the lovely Rosa, I hope you enjoy this! ;; I picked the first prompt **> >1) Track Team AU (or any sport where Rei is better than Rin)**  
> I hope it's not over-the-top fluffy either, I have a feeling it got real mushy towards the end. And ahh, I'm really sorry about the length. It's so short orz

**[ _7 months and 5 days until both fall madly in love_ ]**

_Beautiful-_

Was the first word Rin’s traitorous mind supplied.

And indeed, the elegant twists Ryuugazaki Rei presented had his audience captivated, watching with bated breath as he caught the hoop. In the next instant, he was twisting to the side, lithely running to the other corner of the mat and succeeding in a cat leap through the hoop.

Rin was on the lower steps, close enough to see the gymnast’s flushed cheeks, his glistening lilac eyes and the surprise and delight flashing across his face when the Iwatobi team jumped him.

“Rei-chan! You’re amazing!” Nagisa shrilled, circling the boy in excitement. Makoto gripped his shoulders and grinned widely. “Believe me when I say you gave us all goosebumps.”

When Haruka stepped forward to talk to Rei, Rin felt something within twist. It struck him then that it was no surprise he had been replaced because someone of his calibre was clearly a deterrent to the team. That had already been proven when he had left his precious friends and his beloved rhythmic gymnastics to train for artistic gymnastics overseas.

 _Which,_ he reminded himself bitterly, _I failed in._

“You’re great, Rei,” he heard Haruka say.

Rin stood, his bag toppling to the ground with a crash. They turned at the sound and Rin caught a glance of Haruka’s widening eyes. He felt Rei’s curious gaze trained on his back as he picked up his bag and walked away.

Away from the rose-tinted memories of a childhood promise and a group of eager youngsters enthralled by the grace with which the team of gymnasts before them moved; twisting and leaping into the air, forming patterns and shimmering in their costumes.  

* * *

**[ _5 months and 9 days until both fall madly in love]_**

“Rin-chan-san, is that right?”

Rin stepped out of the building, eyeing the first-year in his neat and buttoned up shirt with his properly strapped bag (dear God, what a _nerd),_ all confrontational.

“What do you want?” Rin asked, gruffly.

“I have two questions for you.” The blue-haired boy pushed his glasses up, eyebrows drawn together. “Why did you suddenly decide to join the team event?”

* * *

**[ _5 months and 9 days until both fall madly in love]_**

“ _You used to smile all the time. With Haruka-senpai, Makoto-senpai and Nagisa-kun… The four of you were always together and having fun. So what made you change after studying abroad? Why didn’t you contact Haruka-senpai or any of the others after coming back to Japan?”_  

Rin slammed his fist on a locker, the vicious sting taking on a dull ache at the back of his mind.

“ _Aren’t you the one who understands more than anyone how great that performance was?_ ”

He collapsed on a nearby bench, running over the incident with Rei.

“What do _you_ want?” he had asked.

“I want to perform with them as a member of that team. That’s all I want,” Rei responded with a clear gaze.

 _Ah. That’s all I ever wanted, too,_ Rin had realised.

* * *

**[ _5 months and 9 days until both fall madly in love]_**

As Rin shared his experiences with a boy he barely knew, he felt the weight of an inexplicable burden dissipate. Rei watched him, his attention never once faltering. And Rin thought that this boy, perhaps, more than anyone else, at that moment, understood him. 

* * *

**[ _4 months until both fall madly in love]_**

“Rin-chan!” Nagisa leapt over, latching onto the red-haired boy with unadulterated delight. Haruka gave him a small smile, and Rin didn’t mind because Haru’s eyes gave away a lot more than his mouth ever did. Makoto pulled him in for a tight hug and when Rin looked up, his eyes met Rei’s. The first-year gave him a bright smile as if saying “I’m glad you made up with them.”

Rin pushed the small stutter his heart made to the back of his mind.

* * *

  **[ _1 month until both fall madly in love]_**

“What are these?” Rin asked, peering at the contents of the purple box. “Woah!”

Rei adjusted his glasses. “I thought you’d like it. It’s because you’ve been improving so fast, Rin-san.”

“What?” Rin spluttered, a faint pink hue dusting his cheeks.

“Now, let’s go back to training!” Rei clapped and the cookies were forgotten until later that day when Momo got his hands on the cookies.

“Ahh! Why is it that Rin-senpai gets a special Valentine’s Day gift? That’s not fair!” the first-year whined, having already stolen a cookie and attempting to take more. Rin pulled the box away from the impertinent brat and hid it away.

“I said you could try _one_!”

He didn’t think too much about the significance of the cookies. That’s what he told himself anyway.

* * *

**[ _20 days until both fall madly in love]_**

Rin righted himself on the bar and Rei guided him gently, occasionally muttering something about the perfect angle. He had made significant improvement with the weekly training he had asked Rei for and the boy had agreed without hesitation.

“Rin-san, you must be nervous about the upcoming competition,” Rei stood back to let Rin jump back down.

“Tell me about it,” the redhead groaned, stretching his muscles to relieve the ache. “But you know what’ll make me feel better?”

“What?” Rei turned to him, curiosity glinting in his eyes.

“Watching your routine,” Rin grinned. 

 Rei flushed a bright red. “Now?”

“Yup. If you’re up to it, anyway.”

“If it’ll help ease your nerves, then I’m alright with it, Rin-san.”

Rin settled at the side and watched as Rei spun and leapt, the very picture of perfection. He was captivating, what with his flexibility and the rich expressions that danced across his face as he landed on his toes, poised.

Rin let it slip. “You’re beautiful when you’re performing.”

Rei bowed, the tips of his ears tinted crimson. “Thank you, Rin-san. I’m happy you enjoyed it.”

Rin laughed and grabbed the boy around his neck, pulling him close. “What’re you so shy for? I thought you’d be more like ‘Ah, of course. I’m always beautiful.’ Or something.”

Rei pouted, swatting Rin’s arm away. “I’m not that egocentric!” With a swipe of his foot, he had tripped Rin. The Samezuka gymnast tumbled forward and pulled Rei down with him.

“You’re gonna regret that.”

Rei yelped as Rin began to tickle him, delighted by his reaction. When he had finally decided to stop torturing the boy, he leant over and murmured.

“Thanks for helping me out, Rei. I owe you.”

* * *

**[ _0 days until both fall madly in love]_**

Rin stood up, breathing hard.

Within his peripheral vision, he found Rei clapping furiously, the corners of his eyes tinged red. He ran off the mat and headed straight for the boy who had given him so much more than he had ever hoped for. Rei gasped in surprise when Rin lifted him up and spun him around, holding on tightly to his shoulders.

“Rei! I did it! I did it!”

“You did it, Rin-san!” Rei laughed, despite the tears that were escaping from the corners of his eyes.

“Get a room,” Haruka quietly interrupted, when Rin let Rei down. Makoto choked on his bottle of water. Gou, having witnessed this passionate bout of romance between her brother and the coveted gymnast, struggled to find something to hold on to. 

“A feat and a hook-up on the same day! Yahoo!” Nagisa cheered, crashing into all of them and pulling them into a massive hug. “This calls for a celebration!”

And celebrate they did, when Rin qualified for the semi-finals and Rei won the individual category for hoops at a different competition.

At the restaurant, Haruka’s unfathomable gaze switched to Rin’s and Rei’s momentarily entwined hands.

“Seriously,” he began. “Get a room!” Gou squealed. 

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't have much time to finish this properly but I had fun! I struggled a little with the direction at first but I got the feel of where I wanted this to go. I love them so much, these butterfly boyfriends.
> 
> Because Rei is so good at pole vaulting, I thought it'd be pretty cool for him to be involved in men's rhythmic gym, especially since it's rather popular in Japan, and a large number of pole vaulters have a background in gymnastics.


End file.
